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Spiritual Quotes by Jack Kornfield

38 Spiritual quotes by Jack Kornfield

All Spiritual quotes Jack Kornfield’s page

Jack Kornfield says true spiritual life includes the body we live in and the courage of a warrior spirit. He points out that generosity grows slowly and that everyday activities like gardening or music can be part of our path. He also invites us to name our feelings and seek the deep silence within.

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Those who are Awake live in a state of constant amazement ...

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We don't know all the reasons that propel us on a spiritual journey, but somehow our life compels us to go.

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Within each of us there is a silence as vast as the universe. We long for it. We can return to it.

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To live in this precious animal body on this earth is as great a part of spiritual life as anything else.

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The heart is like a garden. It can grow compassion or fear, resentment or love. What seeds will you plant there?

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All of spiritual practice is a matter of relationship: to ourselves, to others, to life's situations.

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Where we tended to be judgmental, we became more judgmental of ourselves in our spiritual practice.

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The aim of spiritual life is to awaken a joyful freedom, a benevolent and compassionate heart in spite of everything.

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When repeated difficulties do arise, our first spiritual approach is to acknowledge what is present, naming, softly saying 'sadness, sadness', or 'remembering,…

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Spiritual life doesn't make you a good person; you ARE a good person, you are a holy being when you are born.…

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When we let go of our battles and open our hearts to things as they are, then we come to rest in…

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Great spiritual traditions are used as a means to ripen us, to bring us face to face with our life, and to…

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Part of spiritual and emotional maturity is recognizing that it's not like you're going to try to fix yourself and become a…

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We can bring our spiritual practice into the streets, into our communities, when we see each realm as a temple, as a…

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What would we have to hold in compassion to be at peace right now? What would we have to let go of…

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An honorable spiritual practice recognizes the losses we have suffered, tells our story, and sheds our tears to free us from the…

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A bulging portfolio of spiritual experiences matters little if it does not have the power to sustain us through the inevitable moments…

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We need courage and strength, a kind of warrior spirit. But the place for this warrior strength is in the heart. We…

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The longing for initiation is universal and for modern youth, it is a desperate need. When nothing is offered in the way…

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Taking the one seat describes two related aspects of spiritual work. Outwardly, it means selecting one practice and teacher among all the…

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The purpose of spiritual life is not to create some special state of mind. A state of mind is always temporary. The…

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For most of us, generosity is a quality that must be developed. We have to respect that it will grow gradually; otherwise…

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It is the basic principle of spiritual life that we learn the deepest things in unknown territory. Often it is when we…

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In spiritual life there is no room for compromise. Awakening is not negotiable; we cannot bargain to hold on to things that…

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If you want to love, take the time to listen to your heart. In most ancient and wise cultures it is a…

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“When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in…

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Some other people think that awakened consciousness is really about fullness or presence, being completely present for every moment, but these experiences…

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“The basic principle of spiritual life is that our problems become the very place to discover wisdom and love. With”

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Yet I knew that spiritual practice is impossible without great dedication, energy, and commitment.

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Much of spiritual life is self-acceptance, maybe all of it.

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Even the most exalted states and the most exceptional spiritual accomplishments are unimportant if we cannot be happy in the most basic…

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We need energy, commitment, and courage not to run from our life nor to cover it over with any philosophy—material or spiritual.

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What is truly a part of our spiritual path is that which brings us alive. If gardening brings us alive, that is…

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The purpose of a spiritual discipline is to give us a way to stop the war, not by our force of will,…

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To open deeply, as genuine spiritual life requires, we need tremendous courage and strength, a kind of warrior spirit.

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Spiritual practice should not be confused with grim duty. It is the laughter of the Dalai Lama and the wonder born with…

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To undertake a genuine spiritual path is not to avoid difficulties but to learn the art of making mistakes wakefully, to bring…

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...Spiritual opening is not a withdrawal to some imagined realm or safe cave. It is not a pulling away, but a touching…

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More by Jack Kornfield

“When we let go of our battles and open our heart to things as they are, then we come to rest in the present…

In opening we can see how many times we have mistaken small identities and fearful beliefs for our true nature and how limiting this…

Wherever you are is the perfect place to awaken. This moment is the exact place to practice compassion and loving awareness. You have all…

Acceptance does not mean inaction. We may need to respond, strongly at times...From a peaceful center we can respond instead of react. Unconscious reactions…

To live in this precious animal body on this earth is as great a part of spiritual life as anything else.

We do not have to improve ourselves; we just have to let go of what blocks our heart.

To open deeply, as genuine spiritual life requires, we need tremendous courage and strength, a kind of warrior spirit.

As we step out of the way new things are born.

For most of us, generosity is a quality that must be developed. We have to respect that it will grow gradually; otherwise our spirituality…

What is truly a part of our spiritual path is that which brings us alive. If gardening brings us alive, that is part of…

“Working with these distractions, steadying the canoe, letting the waves pass by, and coming back again and again in a quiet and collected way,…

To understand ourselves and our life is the point of insight meditation: to understand and to be free.

To let go in the deepest recesses of the heart, to release all struggle and wanting, leads us to that knowing which is timeless.

Wisdom says we are nothing. Love says we are everything. Between these two our life flows.

Breathing meditation can quiet the mind, open the body, and develop a great power of concentration.